The 7th International Positive Psychology Congress, organized by Üsküdar Üniversitesi this year, took place on April 18-19, 2025.
Speaking at the congress, whose theme this year was determined as “Neuroscience-Based Positive Psychology,” Dutch Clinical Psychologist Dr. Fredrike Bannink stated, “Positive psychotherapy is the key to both individual and societal well-being.” Dr. Bannink added that negative thoughts are 7 times more powerful than positive ones.
The 7th International Positive Psychology Congress, organized this year by Üsküdar Üniversitesi, took place on April 18-19, 2025, at the Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Central Campus. The Congress, whose theme this year was determined as “Neuroscience-Based Positive Psychology,” was realized in cooperation with Üsküdar Üniversitesi NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi, NP Etiler and NP Feneryolu Medical Center, the Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Association, and the Positive Psychology Institute.
At the congress, which brought together many experts in the field of positive psychology, Dutch Clinical Psychologist Dr. Fredrike Bannink delivered a presentation titled “Positive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT: The Next Frontier in Enhancing Well-being” and also promoted her book, Positive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT. Dr. Bannink explained how positive psychotherapy can be integrated into traditional CBT approaches.
Beginning her presentation with Albert Einstein's quote, “A mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original dimension,” Dr. Bannink invited participants to an interactive exercise. Participants engaged in short conversations with the people next to them, asking each other the question, “What did you do today that made you feel good?” three times in turn.
Dr. Bannink pointed out that positive psychology was considered a "luxury" in psychiatry for years, emphasizing that traditional therapies mostly focused on reducing symptoms, while positive qualities such as hope, wisdom, creativity, and courage were not adequately addressed.
Stating that people naturally focus more on negativity, Dr. Bannink indicated that the negative effect is 7 times stronger than the positive effect. Dr. Bannink emphasized that to achieve this balance, therapists should support a more positive approach not only for clients but also for society in general.
Dr. Fredrike Bannink said, “Positive psychotherapy is the key to both individual and societal well-being. Positive psychology and solution-focused brief therapy approaches aim to increase individuals' psychological resilience by focusing on how they use their strengths in the face of challenges they experience.”
Noting that the solution-focused therapy approach is based not on the problems individuals experience but on their successful responses to these problems, Dr. Fredrike Bannink stated, “This approach aims to provide individuals with a positive outlook on the future instead of confronting them with past traumas. The positive imagination technique, often used in sports, reveals that mentally visualizing success repeatedly positively affects real-life performance.”
Emphasizing that “Humans are not machines,” Dr. Bannink stated that solution-focused therapies are more suitable for human psychology, saying, “With solution-focused therapies, the aim is to help clients recognize not only what is going wrong but also what is going well, thereby multiplying these positive experiences. The solution-focused brief therapy approach aims to create positive changes in individuals' lives by focusing on solutions, not problems. In this approach, therapists guide clients' minds to produce positive differences with questions such as, ‘Suppose you had all the solutions in your hands, what would you do differently?’ Such questions activate different parts of the brain, enabling individuals to break free from their current feeling of being stuck.”
Stating that in solution-focused psychotherapy, clients are guided toward a hopeful and constructive perspective on the future by being asked questions like, "If you had a better life in 6 months, how would that be?" Dr. Bannink said, “There are also fundamental differences between this approach and traditional cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT). While traditional CBT usually focuses on the source of a problem and how to ameliorate the worst-case scenario, in solution-focused psychology, approach goals are prioritized. That is, the individual progresses by focusing on the goal they want to achieve, not the one they want to avoid.”
Stating that the traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) model did not show sufficient effectiveness, Dr. Bannink drew attention to the importance of new solution-focused and future-oriented approaches.
Dr. Bannink also touched upon why the Positive CBT model was developed, emphasizing that she was a practitioner and trainer of traditional CBT, but over time found this model insufficient, noting that client dropout rates were quite high.
Explaining that Positive CBT is based on actively involving the client in the process and that therapy should be a process undertaken by the client themselves, not something done for the client, Dr. Bannink also stated that this method reduces therapist burnout.
Dr. Bannink also noted that Positive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Positive CBT), which has gained increasing interest in psychotherapy in recent years, provides more lasting and meaningful improvements in depression treatment compared to traditional methods. She said, “Positive CBT, which aims for clients to focus not only on problems but also on their positive aspects and strengths, helps individuals approach life with a more positive perspective. In Positive CBT applications, most clients initially find it difficult to notice positive changes because they are usually accustomed to focusing on problems. However, after a few sessions, it becomes easier to see and accept positive developments.”
For her participation, Dr. Bannink was presented with a plaque by Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi.
Dr. Bannink then signed her newly released book, Positive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – CBT, for her readers.
